Enterohepatic circulation rates of cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid in man

The rate of enterohepatic cycling of cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid was determined in 5 male subjects. Pool sizes were measured by isotope dilution technique after intraduodenal administration of ¹⁴C-labelled cholic and chenodeoxycholic acid. The hourly hepatic secretion rate of bile acids was determined by an intestinal perfusion technique. From these data the cycling frequency was calculated. Chenodeoxycholic acid circulated on an average 1.34 (range, 1.13-1.57) times faster than cholic acid, probably because chenodeoxycholic acid to a larger extent than cholic acid is absorbed from the proximal small intestine and thus partly bypasses the hepaticoileal circuit. This difference in cycling rate may have methodological as well as physiological implications.